# Help me find this book about drawing animals from my childhood **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912 "2011-11-23T20:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/1 "2011-11-23T20:07:36Z")
I’m trying to recommend this great book from my childhood to a friend, and I can’t find it. I was hoping maybe the massive power of the Dope could help. I think the cover was an orange-brown, but it very well may not have been. It was paperback, of the stapled in the middle type. The book showed how to draw animals by drawing simple shapes and then connecting them and erasing the shapes inside. For example, drawing a horse using circles and connecting them like this example I threw together quickly in Illustrator: [horse made of circles](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/q__UQFrzRxA47FY0_c7w59MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink) I know it showed how to draw monkeys, horses, elephants, and more. It had a really straightforward title, like “How to Draw Animals” or something similar. Can anyone help me find this book? ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/2 "2011-11-23T20:17:05Z")
Was it one of [Ed Emberly’s](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ed+emberly&x=0&y=0) books? Like maybe [this one](http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberleys-Drawing-Book-Animals/dp/0316789798/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079363&sr=1-1)? Boy, what a blast from the past - I used to LOVE those books, spent hours with them! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/3 "2011-11-23T20:43:43Z")
A [Walter Foster](http://www.walterfoster.com/books-kits/drawing/2/Drawing-Animals/HT12.html) book? ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/4 "2011-11-23T20:57:33Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Was it one of [Ed Emberly’s](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ed+emberly&x=0&y=0) books? Like maybe [this one](http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberleys-Drawing-Book-Animals/dp/0316789798/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079363&sr=1-1)? > > Boy, what a blast from the past - I used to LOVE those books, spent hours with them! Ed Emberly kicks ass. He does a bunch of local appearances around here. My nephew has a bunch of personalized sketches that Ed did for him, and all of my books are signed with little personalized notes and drawings. I have a great picture of him holding my nephew on his lap, wearing my nephew’s sun hat. He’s like everyone’s grandpa. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/5 "2011-11-23T20:59:57Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Was it one of [Ed Emberly’s](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=ed+emberly&x=0&y=0) books? Like maybe [this one](http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Emberleys-Drawing-Book-Animals/dp/0316789798/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322079363&sr=1-1)? No, this book showed how to draw more or less realistic looking\* animals, not cartoony ones. \*realistic as far as what could be expected of a kid, that is. > [@bup](#): > > A [Walter Foster](http://www.walterfoster.com/books-kits/drawing/2/Drawing-Animals/HT12.html) book? That’s closer, but this book was aimed at younger kids, and the finished drawings were less detailed than that. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/6 "2011-11-23T21:51:20Z")
A [Jack Hamm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hamm) book like [How to Draw Animals](http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Animals-Perigee-Jack-Hamm/dp/0399508023) maybe? First published in 1969. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/7 "2011-11-23T21:51:43Z")
Did it have a lion on the cover with a yellow background? ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/8 "2011-11-23T22:02:23Z")
Or maybe [Lee J. Ames](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_J._Ames) [Draw 50 Animals](http://www.amazon.com/Draw-50-Animals-Lee-Ames/dp/0385195192), fist published in 1974? ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/9 "2011-11-23T22:10:28Z")
Maybe [this one](http://www.amazon.com/How-draw-animals-Walter-Foster/dp/B00071ZZWU) is it. Cover color is correct, didn’t find any content images to verify method though. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-this-book-about-drawing-animals-from-my-childhood/603912/10 "2011-11-23T22:31:59Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > A [Jack Hamm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hamm) book like [How to Draw Animals](http://www.amazon.com/Draw-Animals-Perigee-Jack-Hamm/dp/0399508023) maybe? First published in 1969. No, that’s not it. It was aimed at younger kids. > [@PapSett](#): > > Did it have a lion on the cover with a yellow background? I think the cover was an orangy brown (like more orange than a chocolate brown). Don’t remember what pictures were on it. > [@Hbns](#): > > Or maybe [Lee J. Ames](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_J._Ames) [Draw 50 Animals](http://www.amazon.com/Draw-50-Animals-Lee-Ames/dp/0385195192), fist published in 1974? I don’t think that’s the same book, but it’s very similar. If I can’t find the actual book I may recommend this one. > [@Hbns](#): > > Maybe [this one](http://www.amazon.com/How-draw-animals-Walter-Foster/dp/B00071ZZWU) is it. Cover color is correct, didn’t find any content images to verify method though. No, it showed how to draw much less detailed pictures. More like illustrations. It was geared toward early elementary school aged kids.